photo courtesy of www.espn.com
Former Cal Golden Bear and Pinole Valley resident DeNesha Stallworth could be coming to the same place that just produced another bay area and Pinole star in Jalessa Ross.
Stallworth, a 6-foot-3 forward for Cal, announced to the Contra Costa Times her decision to transfer from the Golden Bears over the weekend and has listed Kentucky, Georgia Tech and Fresno State as her new schools of choice.
Stallworth, who was a sophomore this past year, felt that the Bears’ disappointing 2010-2011 season played a role in her decision to transfer.
“Everybody was unhappy with our season,” Stallworth told the Contra Costa Times. “I’m not saying Coach (Joanne Boyle) limited my game. I just felt like I needed to go somewhere else and start over. It was very, very hard to look at my teammates in the eyes and tell them I’m leaving, the coaches too. I’m just glad I’m leaving with positive energy and not negative.”
She is scheduled to meet with Fresno State by the end of April. If the Bulldogs do land Stallworth, her size and post play will be very beneficial for a team looking for an improvement inside.
In the last four years, the Bulldogs have struggled against teams with a size advantage up front. This was especially evident in the last four NCAA Women’s Tournament appearances, when the Bulldogs lost to teams with better size in the paint.
Stallworth averaged 13.3 points per game and 6.4 rebounds for a Cal team that finished 18-16 overall and 7-11 in PAC-10 play this past season.
I have been meaning to post something like this on my blog and this gave me an idea. Cheers.